


Fell of Blood, Pure of Heart

by prettypinklass



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Doomed Timelines, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24313771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettypinklass/pseuds/prettypinklass
Summary: And then she tensed, her face filling with an expression that could only be described as painful."Please… run…"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The queen sits on many secrets, some unknown to even her husband, the exalt.Some of the nobles are suspicious of her, and they have every right to be.A fact that is well proven when the Shepherds march to Plegia goes horribly wrong.
Relationships: Chrom/My Unit | Reflet | Robin, Denis | Donnel/Maribelle, Frederick/Serge | Cherche, Guire | Gaius/Tiamo | Cordelia, Henry/Sallya | Tharja, Licht | Ricken/Miriel, Liz | Lissa/Lon'qu, Olivia/Viaur | Virion, Riviera | Libra/Velvet | Panne, Soiree | Sully/Wyck | Vaike, Sort | Stahl/Sumia
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. The Royal Family

She'd heard them talking about. They called her a blessing from Naga. 

A genius tactician who would help them save the halidom, from the fell dragon who they knew the Plegian king was going raise soon

The nobles hated her. A Plegian commoner had taken the throne, despite the insane amount of family, sisters and daughters, offered as suitors. 

Maribelle was perhaps the only exception, but she was a member of the Shepherds. She had seen her prowess and devotion up close. 

But even if the nobles hated her, he wasn't deterred. The prince loved her, and she loved him. That was all he needed. 

_ You've fallen hard.  _

She smiled.

_ You know you feel the same way. _

_ Of all people, we had to fall for Naga spawn.  _

_ His heritage means nothing. _

She sat in the royal family's lounge, holding the two teenagers in her lap. 

"Mother, I'm too old for this…" Lucina mumbled, leaning into her anyway. The crown princess of Ylisse, who just turned 17.

"Oh hush, Sweetie," Robin smiled at her, "You'll never be too old for me to cuddle you." 

"Mm… you're warm Mama…" Morgan hummed contently, snuggling closer to his mother. The 15 year old prince of Ylisse, a status he shared with his cousin.

"See? Your brother enjoys it." 

"Mother…" the princess let out a frustrated groan, blushing slightly. 

It was dark out, and thunder boomed outside. The fireplace crackled, lighting the room dimly. Any maids or butlers that came in to stoke it chose to ignore the trio, or at least not question them. 

The door opened, and she turned her head, expecting to see a maid. A radiant smile grew on her face when she saw her husband enter. 

"Welcome home." 

The exalt looked up, smiling back at her, "Thank you, Love. You seem comfortable." 

She laughed lightly, as he removed his boots and went into their room. He came out, no longer dressed in the heavy robes and many layers he was required to wear when he was out. His crown had been left inside the room, as he sat down next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulders and leaning on her. He practically squished Morgan in the process, and their son let out a mumble of protest, shifting to lean on him.

They now each held a child in their lap, and were content to sit together, enjoying the peace and quiet. 

It was a nice change for them, contrast to the usual on the road excitement. 

~~~

Despite the calm last night, the next morning was anything but that. 

"Is everything ready?" Robin looked up from her parchment, towards Miriel and her son Laurent. 

"Everything is packed, yes," the mage replied, adjusting her hat, "We can leave at any time." 

"Good, thank you," she nodded at them, and they both bowed before leaving.

"Hard at work as usual I see," a familiar voice called to her, and she laughed aloud. 

"There's too much to be done, and not enough time to do it," she responded, meeting his lips for a quick kiss, "Did you talk to the council?" 

His face fell immediately, and she laughed again. 

"That bad, huh?" 

"They want me to stay behind," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her, "Apparently they're concerned for my safety, but I think they're just scared of running the kingdom without me." 

"They just don't want you to get hurt. Lissa isn't prepared to rule, and Lucina's too young. If anything happened-" 

"Oh hush, you sound like one of the dukes." 

He buried his face into her neck, and she giggled. 

"Let me go Chrom, I have to check on Maribelle and Lissa." 

He made huff of denial, his grip tightening. 

"Chrom…" 

"No." 

"Chrom-" 

"I'm antsy, okay? It's been a year since the Shepherds traveled." 

"I know Love," she smiled reassuringly at him, "We're almost ready to go. Go find Vaike or Sully, I'm sure they'll be happy to entertain you." 

"Ugh, fine…" he let an exaggerated sigh, before smiling at her. The exalt pecked her cheek, and left. 

_ Remind me why we love him? _

With a giddy smile, she responded aloud.

"Who cares?" 

~~~

The march made everyone miserable. The storm last night made everything muddy and wet, and it was cold. 

The fact that it started raining ten minutes in didn't help. 

Fast forward to a half hour later, they're still a day from the border. Tharja and Henry both cast hexes to stop the rain from falling on them and their daughter, Noire. Morgan copied their example, doing the same to him and Lucina. 

Lissa and Maribelle were huddled together under her umbrella, with the noblewoman's son, Brady, with them. Lissa's son, Owain, had bravely shouted the rain didn't scare him, and was chasing Panne's son Yarne around the area. 

Nowi had her wings out, curling around her and protecting her daughter Nah from the rain. Tiki walked next to her, feathery white wings out and shielding her. 

Frederick held a tarp over himself and Cherche. Their son Gerome walked next to him, just outside of the tarp next to the Wyvern Minerva. Despite his parents protests, he refused to walk underneath it with them, perfectly content to share the torture with the Wyvern. 

Everyone had some way of avoiding the rain, aside from Chrom. The exalt sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. What had once been a fluffy mess of blue hair, was now floppy and wet. 

Robin laughed at him, her hood up to protect her from the rain. 

"So much for being antsy, huh?" 

"Be quiet." 

That made her laugh again. 

_ This rain is miserable.  _

_ I know that. Poor Chrom. _

_ He should've brought protection like everyone else. _

The thought made her smile. 

As they taunt finally began to let up, they realized it was dusk, and began setting up camp. 

The kids all worked together in setting up their tents. Unsurprising, as they usually bunked together. The girls in one tent, boys in the other. 

"Owain, stop chasing Yarne and help out!" Gerome shouted. 

"What are you doing?" Morgan frowned at Inigo. 

"I kind of think the floppy hair suits me, don't you?" Olivia's son grinned at him. 

"No," the prince snorted as Owain and Yarne joined them. 

"Hurry up," Brady huffed, "The girls are almost done." 

"This isn't a competition," Laurent sighed.

"Luci, catch!" Severa tossed a tent pole to the princess, who caught it easily. 

"Thanks Sev!" 

"Don't call me that!" 

"I think it suits you," Cynthia giggled. 

"Oh shut it," the ginger sighed. 

"Stop fighting," Kjelle muttered. 

"We aren't fighting," Sumia's daughter blinked in confusion. 

"Yeah, well you're stressing out Noire," Sully's daughter huffed, nodding in her direction. 

Noire flinched, "Sorry…" 

"Don't be," Lucina gave her a reassuring smile. 

"I'm a dragon! Roar!" Nah giggled, running circles around them. 

Everyone was setting up their tents. They had rations for dinner, before everyone went to bed. 

Well, almost everyone. 

"Can't sleep?" 

The tactician turned, seeing Tharja. It had stopped raining by now, and the dark mage was completely dry unlike her. 

"Just… thinking." 

"About that?" 

"Yeah." 

"You do know that we're here for you, right?" 

"Yeah. Have you told Noire?" 

"I did last night. Have you told Morgan or Lucina?" 

"Not yet." 

Tharja sat down next to her on the wet grass, sighing, "Is it him or the king?" 

"Both," Robin admitted, "I don't want to tell either of them, but…" 

"Well, the nice thing about the words 'final orders' mean that we're free to use any loopholes forever. You have our support, no matter what." 

She smiled at the raven haired mage, "Thank you Tharja." 

"Meh. You should get some sleep." 

"So should you." 

"Only if you will." 

They both laughed. 

"Fair enough," Robin stood, offering a hand. She took it, offering a hand, and they parted to their separate tents. 

_ Tomorrow will be eventful. _

_ I know it will. _


	2. Ghost Town

The next morning was better, sunny and bright. She smiled, lifting her eyes to watch the sunlight. 

"Daddy, Owain took my book!" Severa exclaimed. 

"I did not!" Owain retorted, "I haven't touched it!"

"Then why was it in  _ your  _ tent?!" The ginger crossed her arms glaring at him. 

"Just because it was in the boys tent doesn't mean  _ I  _ took it! Maybe it was Gerome!" The brown haired boy gestured to his Wyvern riding friend.

"Do  _ not  _ get me involved in this mess," Gerome retorted, scowling at them. 

"Severa, it could have just been a mix up," Lucina put her hand on Severa's shoulder, and she scowled. 

"No way! It was in  _ my  _ bag, I know it was, and all of a sudden it's in the boy's tent!" 

"Calm down Sweetie," Gaius sighed, coming over and ruffling the girl's hair, "It doesn't matter now, you've got your book back." 

"Ugh," she scowled, but didn't push the matter further. Inigo snickered.

"Are you laughing at me?!" 

"Maybe." 

"That's it!" 

She shoved her book at Lucina, and ran at the dancer, tackling him. He yelped, and they rolled around wrestling.

"Don't kill him!" Brady called, causing the other boys to snort and snicker. 

Lucina and Kjelle sighed, and Noire squeaked. Nowi burst into giggles. 

Robin watched them, laughing lightly as Cordelia and Virion dragged their children away from each other. 

"By the Gods, she's a wild animal!" 

"FIGHT ME, ASSHOLE!" 

"Language!" Cordelia scolded her daughter. 

"Now now, this behaviour is unbecoming of a noble Inigo," Virion sweated nervously. 

Cynthia burst into giggles, "You guys are funny!" 

"Should we do something?" Chrom asked her. 

"No, I think they'll be fine," she replied, smiling at the children. 

"Could you cut it out? I'm trying to read," Laurent turned to his friends, scowling. 

"You're reading while we march?" Morgan asked. 

"Yes, what else am I supposed to do?" 

"Um… pay attention to where we're going?" 

"It's not hard, I just have to follow the sound of Severa yelling, Noire crying, and Nah pretending to be a dragon." He looked up from the book, nodding at the three he had mentioned. 

"What was that?!" Severa rounded on him.

"I-I-I'm not… crying!" Noire began tearing up. Kjelle put an arm around her, casting a glare to the mage. 

"I  _ am  _ a dragon Silly!" Nah giggled, before going back to running circles around Nowi and Tiki. 

"Dude, that was uncalled for," Brady cast a glance to Laurent, raising an eyebrow. 

"I was simply stating the truth," Laurent replied, "However if you insist, I will refrain from pressing during the march." 

He closed the book, sighing. 

"How close are we to the capital?" Miriel turned to Robin. The tactician hummed, reaching into their pocket and pulling out the map. She frowned at it, before turning it around and then smiling. 

"Let's see… perhaps another day, day and a half, provided nothing slows us down." 

"Yeah, cause that never happens," Vaike snorted, "How much farther?" 

Robin laughed lightly, "You have a point. Two days at the most. We can set up a camp… how does right here sound?" 

She put her finger on a spot on the map. Chrom leaned over her, looking at the spot. 

"Sure, sounds good to me. That's still a few hours away though, right?" 

"Mhm," she nodded, smiling up at him, "We can stop soon for lunch." 

"Good, I'm starving!" Stahl exclaimed. 

"You're always starving Dear," Sumia laughed. 

"...Yeah, that's true." 

The others laughed. 

_ Heh. I think I understand why you chose to stay with these people.  _

She smiled softly, as they continued walking. 

~~~

Dusk fell as they camped. 

Her tent flap shook, "Knock knock. Permission to enter?" 

She smiled at that, "Granted." 

The flap was pushed aside, and Chrom entered, smiling at her, "Hey." 

The tactician hummed in response, smiling at him, and then looking back down at her map. 

"What are you doing?" 

"Trying to plan the fastest and safest route to the capital…" she replied, frowning, "The forest is fastest, but I've heard there are bandits there, and if we get caught in a battle the trees could restrict us… Going around the forest is much longer though, at least an extra day, and I don't know if there are any bandits, plus I'm not sure we have the time…" 

She trailed off, and he hummed, sitting across from her. 

"You don't have to worry about us in a fight, you know the Shepherds are capable of handling themselves. I'm sure an extra day won't mean much." 

_ That's not what we're worried about. _

She didn't say that aloud. 

"I know, I just don't want to take any risks. The longer it takes for us to get there, the longer Plegia's king has to prepare…" 

He nodded. 

_ We could tell him.  _

_ About you? Now?  _

_ Nobody else is here. We may not get another chance like this. Better to explain the situation now then have it revealed in the capital. _

She couldn't argue with that logic. 

"Chrom, I have to tell you something-" 

The sound of a horn rang throughout camp.

"Dinner already?" Chrom stood up, frowning, "Ah, sorry Robin. You can tell me after dinner." 

Robin's face fell, but she nodded, standing and following him out. 

Dinner was indeed ready, and they all sat around the campfire, talking and laughing. 

As night fell, everyone gradually went to bed, starting with the kids, and finally, Robin and Chrom.

They went into their tent, and the exalt hummed. 

"What did you want to tell me earlier?" 

She hesitated. 

"I…" 

_ Gods, I don't know where to start… _

"Robin?" 

She turned to face him, and he frowned at her, "Are you alright?" 

_ I can't. Not now.  _

He didn't answer. 

"...It's nothing, I'm sorry if I worried you." 

"If you're sure. You know you can tell me anything, my Love." 

He put his hand on her cheek, leaning down. She smiled, her answer soft. 

"I know." 

They shared a long kiss, that ended in hands traveling, and eventually fell into the shared cot, before falling asleep. 

~~~

The march continued. 

Another day, around the forest, a single bandit encounter, and then another. 

Until finally, they arrived at the capital. 

_ Something isn't right.  _

He was right. 

Amidst the houses, markets, stalls, wells, and everywhere in between, they didn't encounter anyone. 

Not a single person was in this town. 

"...It's deserted," Olivia murmured finally, frowning. 

"What the hell?" Vaike sighed, "Where is everyone?" 

"...Evacuated," Robin said finally, "Gone." 

"What? Why?" Chrom frowned at her. 

"Because of the rite…" she looked up at the castle across town, and frowned, "which means…" 

She looked up, and turned to the others, "You have to leave." 

"What?" Chrom stepped forward, "Robin-" 

"Don't argue with me!" She snapped, "Leave, now. It's dangerous." 

"...Oh," Tharja huffed. 

"What?" Henry blinked at her. She whispered something in his ear, and he gasped. 

"Oohh! Okay! Good luck Robin!" 

The two turned, beginning to walk away. Noire squeaked, rushing to follow them. 

"What?! Where are you going?!" Ricken exclaimed. 

"Leaving," Tharja replied, "You should too." 

"What?!" 

_ They aren't going to listen. _

The rest of the Shepherds stood their ground, as the family walked away, and Robin exhaled softly. 

"Leave, or I'll make you." 

"Is that a threat?" Lon'qu scowled, reaching for his sword. 

"Lon'qu!" Lissa immediately ran over to him, grabbing his hand. 

"I'm with him, that sounded like a threat," Vaike narrowed his eyes, hefting his axe. 

"Are you feeling okay Bubbles?" Gaius frowned, "You're acting awfully unlike yourself." 

"Robin, what's gotten into you?" Chrom approached her and she tensed. 

"...Just go." 

He stopped in front of her, reaching for her hand, and she pulled away. Guilt filled her as the hurt expression that crossed his face. 

His words were quiet, "Promise me you'll come back." 

She barely managed a nod, and he sighed. 

The exalt turned to his friends, "Head back to camp. I'll catch up." 

"What?!" Sully scowled, "Chrom-" 

"Don't argue. Go." 

The cavalier faltered. 

"...Milord-" 

Frederick stopped when Chrom looked at him, and sighed. 

"Fine. Be back by dinner or a search party will be sent out." 

He nodded, and the great knight turned. 

One by one, the Shepherds turned, beginning to walk back to camp. Tiki, Lucina, and Morgan were the last to go. 

"My love…" the exalt turned back to his wife, caressing her cheek. She took his hand, smiling softly. 

"I'm sorry, Chrom. I can't let you come with me. It's too dangerous…" 

"Danger has never been a problem before," he frowned, "Robin-" 

_ He's going to ask. Tell him. _

She took a deep breath. 

_ I'll have to do this quickly. _

"There isn't enough time to explain fully," she replied softly, "But… remember when I told you I wanted to tell you something?" 


	3. Fell Blood

He sighed, thoughts running through his mind. He couldn't stop worrying, especially after what she had told him…

_"Vessel… is a bit of a strong word. It's more like I'm his host, but… it's been like this since I was an infant. We're one and the same."_

Sully snorted, "What's with that look Cap'n? Come on, cheer up! She promised to come back, Didn't she?"

Chrom smiled a little, laughing softly, "Yeah, sorry. Just worried…" 

"It's getting late," Miriel hummed, "We should be off to bed." 

"You have a point," the exalt nodded. 

"I want to stay up until Mama gets back," Morgan huffed. 

"It's already an hour past your bedtime Morgan," he laughed lightly, ruffling his hair, "Get some sleep. Robin will be back in the morning." 

"Please Papa! Luci wants to stay up too, right Sis?" 

Lucina didn't answer. 

"...Sis?" Morgan looked around, frowning. 

"What's wrong?" Gerome asked. 

"Where's Lucina? She was right next to me when we left…" 

"Has anyone seen Lucina?" Chrom looked over the Shepherds, calling out. 

Everybody answered by shaking their head, or some variation of no. They could all see the panic beginning to rise in the exalt's blue eyes, even with the only light being the dim flames. 

"Hey, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Tiki since we got back either," Nowi looked around, frowning. 

"Let's spread out and search the camp," Sumia suggested, "Maybe they just went to bed or something." 

The group nodded and agreed, before spreading out across the camp and beginning to search. 

"Lucina! Tiki!" 

"Sis! Lady Tiki!" 

"Luuci! Dragon Buddy!" 

"Cuz?! Lady Tiki?!" 

"Where are you?!" 

It wasn't until an hour later that they met again. 

"Has anyone found them?" Chrom asked. Nobody answered with a yes. 

"...Oh gods…" 

~~~

"Lady Tiki, I don't know if-" 

"Shh!" 

The bluenette immediately went quiet, frowning at the mint haired manakete. Lucina took a deep breath, starting to protest again.

"Mother told us to go back for a reason, I'm sure there's no need to-" 

"It's not that," Tiki responded quietly, "Just be quiet, or we'll be caught." 

The princess faltered, but nodded hesitantly. 

This wasn't how she had expected her evening to go, and somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt immense amounts of guilt for following Tiki and not even bothering to tell her brother, father, or any of her friends where they were going. 

But she had seen the manakete sneaking off, and curiosity got the best of her. She followed. It was obvious Tiki hadn't expected it, but it was too late to go back now. 

So here they were, following the tactician. 

_This is a bad idea._

_I know that._

Tiki stopped suddenly, and Lucina almost ran into her, letting a squeak that was quickly muffled. 

They peeked around the corner, and watched the scene. 

Plegia's king smiled, "Robin, my dear. How kind of you to join us. What happened to our guests?" 

"We have no guests," Robin replied, and both could tell she was on guard. 

"A shame, and I had all this set up just for them." 

"Well, I do prefer my friends and family alive." 

Lucina narrowed her eyes. 

The king stood in front of a dry fountain, and he smiled evilly, "Is that so? Well, I suppose I could always just kidnap someone-" 

"You can't force him to rise inside of me. Not when his dormant spirit already lives here." 

"Hmm, you have a point…" 

He looked around, and his eyes lingered to the side. Immediately, the two girls pulled back, and Tiki scowled. 

"Lady Tiki?..." 

The manakete put a finger to her lips. Lucina went quiet. 

_Something isn't right._

_I know that!_

"Well, I'm sure we can make an exception." 

He snapped his fingers. 

Someone approached the two. 

_Dammit!_

~~~

_Shit._

Her eyes widened when the Grimleal appeared, someone he had undoubtedly promised wealth and gold in exchange for services. 

Her breath hitched when she saw him pull the two girls out from behind the wall.

"I knew it!" The first thing she heard was Tiki's angry shout, "You lied to us!" 

"Mother…?" Lucina's eyes widened, full of panic. 

"Let them go!" She snapped at Validar, who just laughed. 

"Mother? Is that what she said? Well, that's just perfect! The fellblood runs within her, and now we have a sacrifice too." 

"You wouldn't." 

"Well, like you said before, I can't force _you_ to accept his rage, but that doesn't mean I can't force her," he pointed at the blue haired princess, "And what better sacrifice than Naga's own daughter? It'll be wonderful!" 

"You make me sick," she stepped forward, pulling out her tome. 

"Ah, ah," he smirked, "If you attack me, I'll have her dead before you can even cast. So, make a choice. You can take it, or she can." 

_Don't._

_I have too._

_If you accept it, the only way to stop it will be killing us._

_And if I don't, he'll force it onto our daughter!_

_She only has my blood. Without my spirit, it will just be a manifestation of my rage-_

"Too busy debating with him? Well, that's too bad. I'll just have to use her." 

He snapped his fingers, and the Grimleal grabbed the two girls by the hair. Validar whipped out his tome, casting a spell. Robin was pushed back by a gust of wind, and purple flames went up in front of her. 

"NO!" 

_Stop!_

She couldn't move. The purple flames illuminated everything in the night, and then- 

"ROBIN!" 

She turned, her eyes widening. 

"CHROM! STAY BACK!" 

She didn't hear his answer, as he ran towards her.

He was asking her something, she couldn't answer, her mind was racing. 

A scream pierced through the air. One that was unmistakably Tiki's. 

She didn't hear her husband's question, but felt his arms around her. She didn't hear what he was whispering in her ear, just knew that he was trying to comfort her. 

She heard Panne- or was that Yarne- shouting something. Tharja was yelling to Henry, Morgan was saying something to Noire- 

And then everything went quiet. 

The flames disappeared. Validar let out a laugh. 

"Yes, it is complete! The fell dragon has ris-" 

He fell silent. Everyone gasped, as Robin pushed out of Chrom's arms to see. 

Lucina stood there. Her sword was drawn, embedded in Validar's chest. 

The Plegian king laughed, and she removed it. He fell backwards, dead. 

"...Lucina?..." Chrom trailed off. 

Tiki's body was deposited in the dry fountain, her blood stained the ground. 

"Tiki?..." Nowi trailed off, her eyes wide. 

"Sis!" Morgan abandoned Noire, running towards the bluenette. 

"Morgan, don't!" Robin shouted, and in a burst of adrenaline, moved forward with unnatural speed. She grabbed her son, pulling him back as Lucina raised her sword. 

The strike missed, and everyone gasped.

"...Lucina?..." Morgan whimpered. 

A purple aura surrounded her, as her eyes widened. 

"M...Mother… Fa...ther…" 

She felt Chrom come up behind her, tense. 

"...Morgan…?" 

And then she tensed, her face filling with an expression that could only be described as painful. 

"Please… run…" 

Robin gasped. She turned, pushing two into a run and following. 

"Go!" 

A blood curdling scream ripped from Lucina's throat, piercing through the night sky.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morgan can be a vessel for Grima, so logically it makes sense that any siblings can be too, right?


	4. Hiding

They abandoned camp, kept running. Cracks extended through the ground, and the land behind them began rising. 

Fire. Fire everywhere. 

People screamed as the trees caught fire. Those with mounts whistled for them, and they ran or flew beside them, with no time to mount them. 

It wasn't until the falling blobs of fire were behind them, and the land that had risen to dispel it was nothing more than a distant mountain, did they finally stop running. 

Everyone was panting, leaning over… Nowi looked ready to collapse, and Morgan was on the verge of tears. 

"L...Luci…" 

He whimpered. Robin pulled him into a hug, as he began crying. 

"Robin, what…" Chrom looked at her trailing off. 

She felt her own eyes fill with tears. 

"...I knew you carried it, but I didn't realize…" Tharja spoke breathlessly. 

"...Of course she passed it, it's genetics. I can't believe we didn't realize the risks earlier," Henry sighed. 

"S-So, Lucina…" Noire trailed off. 

"What the hell is going on?!" Vaike slammed his axe into the ground suddenly and scowled, "You lot are making no sense at all! I think we all deserve an explanation!" 

The rest of the Shepherds murmured their agreement, and Robin sighed. 

"I know. I'm sorry everyone…" 

She took off her gloves, still hugging Morgan, and displayed her left hand for everyone to see. 

The others crowded around to see, and gasps rippled throughout them. 

"...So you're his vessel," Lon'qu crossed his arms, "So what, you weren't going to help us stop him?" 

"No," she shook her head, "It's true, I didn't plan on helping you stop Grima, but only because I planned to prevent his anger rising in the first place. I went alone because the king… Validar… needed a sacrifice, and at least, knowing it wasn't anyone I cared about I could deny him." 

"How would you deny the literal fell dragon from waking inside of you?" Sully raised an eyebrow. 

"Because I already have part of the fell dragon within me," she replied softly, "The one that attacked thousands of years ago was a manifestation of his rage, but both were sealed away as a precaution…" 

Two extra pairs of eyes began to glow underneath her brown ones, all six turning red and beginning to glow faintly, "I host the dormant part of his soul, and because of that, I'm capable of refusing his anger, but…" 

She choked on a sob she hadn't realized was coming. Chrom wrapped her in a hug, pulling Morgan with them. 

Tharja sighed, taking up the explanation, "Lucina only has fellblood. If she had at least a portion of the dormant Grima's soul, this wouldn't be happening, but…" 

"Well, she and Tiki were the ones who followed," Henry sighed, "...That said, it's hard to blame them." He added, at the expression Chrom shot him. 

"So, what do we do now?" Nowi asked quietly. 

"...We run," Robin replied, through choked breaths, "Until we can figure out a way to stop it without hurting her, there's nothing we can do…" 

"There has to be something!" Owain exclaimed, "W-We can't just leave her like that, she…" 

Inigo patted him on the back as he sniffled. 

"I know… but the only option otherwise is to awaken Falchion, and seal her and the anger away…" 

"No," Chrom responded immediately, "Not happening." 

"Then we stay on the run. She'll search for me, to try and fuse the two parts of his soul… but until then, her powers are limited. We'll encounter a lot more Risen though-" 

As if on cue, they heard the tell-tale groaning of zombies. Turning to look, the Shepherds raised their weapons at the sight of Risen, and among them… 

She had a limp, walking just like the zombies, but she mumbled incoherently with her sword drawn. Her eyes blazed with something- anger, disgust, they didn't know- and a violet aura flickered around her. 

"...Kill…destroy…"

"She found us already?!" Stahl gaped, raising his weapon. 

"Dammit!" Robin cursed. 

_ It doesn't matter where we hide. She can sense us.  _

"I know that!" She snapped aloud, "So where do we go?!" 

_ A place where Naga's power resonates the strongest. Her power should be enough to deter the anger, or at least mask us.  _

_ Naga  _ hates  _ us! Remember the last time we tried to speak with her?! _

_ It's our only chance. I'll lend you what little power I have.  _

"Robin-?!" 

She closed her eyes, and suddenly, the ground was spinning beneath her. 

When she opened her eyes, they stood on Mount Prism.

"H...how did you…?" Ricken gaped at her. 

The glow in her brown eyes disappeared. 

"I… he helped me..-" 

She fell over, passed out. 

~~~

Everything hurt. 

Everything  _ burned. _

All she remembered was the manakete, whose name escaped her, screaming. The man killed her, and then began chanting…

And she had done nothing. The woman hadn't done a thing but watched them through the purple flames. 

She didn't help her, didn't want to, and the thought made her so… so… 

Angry… so angry she couldn't control it.

And then there was that voice, whispering to her constantly. 

_ "Kill them all, destroy them…" _

She whimpered, tears sliding down her face. 

She wanted her father, her mother, her brother… where were they? 

_ "They took them. Kill them. Destroy them."  _

They… took them? 

They took her parents. Who?

_ "Her." _

Her… the white haired woman. She took her parents. 

_ "Kill her. Destroy her. Kill everything in your way until you get to her. Then kill her too." _

Kill her… 

She wanted her family back. She wasn't about to let  _ her  _ get away with this. 

_ "Kill… destroy…" _

"...Kill...destroy…"

~~~

The mountain was silent. 

"We can't go into the temple," Tharja said, "Naga would smite us immediately, especially Robin." 

"She hates you that much?" 

"More like she hates Grima and everyone who worships him. Dormant or not, Robin hosts his spirit and we worship the fell dragon. We'll become smoke." 

"It's okay, we can just wait out here!" Henry laughed. 

"If Naga hates you so much, why did we end up here?" Lissa asked. 

"My guess would be to mask their power," Maribelle hummed, "That thing can probably sense her, so they likely hoped that being here would hide them." 

"I must agree," Miriel nodded, "That, or at least the presence of the divine dragon would be enough to deter them for now. In the meantime, we should set up a camp-" 

"Can't, we left all our supplies to burn in the run," Sully huffed, leaning on her spear, "We could probably go in and try to appeal to Naga, but…" 

"It is unlikely she would help us, even under these circumstances, and especially now that we've let her daughter fall while within our protection," Libra sighed, "I could offer a prayer, perhaps, but I don't know how much it would do." 

"I'll join you," Lissa told him, "Maybe… maybe I could help convince her." 

"Then I will as well," Maribelle hummed, "Surely all three of us could do well." 

The priest nodded, and the trio went inside of the temple. 

"Well, I guess the rest of us should find some shelter and start camping," Stahl sighed. 

"There are plenty of ruins here," Laurent stated, "I'm sure we can make something work. Food may be an issue though." 

"I can take trips out to hunt!" Nowi volunteered. 

"Sumia and I could as well," Cordelia nodded, "Infact, we should probably do that now." 

"Right," Chrom nodded at them. 

"I...I'll help," Morgan nodded, "What do you need?" 

"In the meantime, you should keep an eye on her," Virion hummed, nodding at the unconscious woman Chrom was holding, "Don't you worry about us, I'm sure with someone as noble as myself here, we're bound to live." 

"Whatever you say Lord Virion," Cherche laughed lightly, "I'll go out hunting as well." 

She mounted her Wyvern, as Cordelia and Sumia mounted their pegasi.

"Be very careful while you are out," Frederick instructed, "Do not take any unnecessary risks, if someone gets hurt come straight back to us, and if you see Princess Lucina,  _ do not _ engage-" 

"Yes, we get it," Sumia laughed lightly, "We'll be fine Frederick." 

"No need to worry about us!" Nowi exclaimed, grinning, "We'll be back soon!" 

And the four of them took off before the knight could say anymore. 

The group found an area near the temple. It was in ruins, but had the most shelter, so they worked together to clear out the area. The mages turned larger debris into dust while the fighters pushed smaller ones away. The cavaliers mounted their steeds and went to search the area for extra supplies. 

By the end of the day, they had a mini camp set up, with makeshift sleeping bags created with the skins of what their hunting group had brought back… and Robin still hadn't woken up. 

"She isn't sick," Lissa frowned after her examination, "Just unconscious. If it was from using too much energy to get us here, she should've woken up by now…" 

"She may have slipped into a coma by accident," Maribelle sighed, "We'll have to keep an eye on her, but for now that's all we can do…" 

"I'm sorry Chrom…" 

The exalt just smiled, "It's alright Lissa, thank you, and thank you Maribelle. I'll keep an eye on her for now." 

The cleric and troubadour both nodded, before going back to sit by the campfire. 

Sully was telling a story that was supposed to be scary although Nowi, Nah, Olivia, and Virion seemed to be the only ones really scared by it. Henry thought it was funny. 

Libra burned some of his food as an offering to Naga, and after a bit of persuasion, everyone else tried it. It didn't smell good, but they supposed it was worth a shot. 

It wasn't until late at night, when everyone was asleep, that their tactician awoke with a gasp. 

~~~

_ It was dark.  _

_ "Grima."  _

_ She turned, seeing the green haired woman.  _

_ Robin was about to answer, when a dragon lowered itself over her and spoke.  _

_ "Naga."  _

_ The divine dragon scowled, "I would've thought you knew better then to come here after last time. Come to annoy me? Taunt me? Old habits die hard I suppose-"  _

_ "Not even close," she found her voice and responded, "In case you haven't noticed the Risen beginning to appear-"  _

_ "Oh, I've seen it, trust me. Don't tell me you want my protection from the anger, because I'm not about to give it to you. Especially not after you killed my daughter." _

_ "We weren't going to ask. We just thought this would be the safest place, to hide until we discover a way to stop her without killing her."  _

_ Naga raised an eyebrow at that.  _

_ "She's my daughter," Robin said quietly, "Mine and Chrom's, and I can't just…"  _

_ "I understand," that surprised her, but she supposed it shouldn't have, and the divine dragon's spirit sighed, "I cannot help you, however I can allow you to stay here. At least until you have discovered a way. However." _

_ The dragon leaning over Robin huffed, "However what?"  _

_ "This place is not invincible. While my power may deter her and mask you, it will not forever. The moment she steps foot here, you are in danger. I advise you to be quick."  _

_ "We can certainly try," Robin nodded, "Thank you."  _

_ She muttered something about fell dragons, and sighed, "Wake."  _

And then she was sitting up, in the dark of night. 


	5. Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory time :D

_ Gods, she  _ won't  _ shut up. _

_ Hey, it took me years to talk you out of the bloodlust, don't start again with Naga.  _

_ Yeah, yeah. She's just annoying, critiquing literally everything we do.  _

_ As long as you don't tell me to burn down the temple. _

_ THAT WAS ONE TIME! _

She smiled softly, feeling arms wrap around her. 

"Morning Chrom." 

"Morning, Love…" he yawned, "How are you feeling? We were all worried when you passed out yesterday…" 

"I'm fine now," she replied, smiling at him, "Don't worry about me. How are you? I know yesterday was hard…" 

"I'm fine," the exalt replied, "Anxious… but fine. Henry sent a message to Ylisstol to alert them of the situation-" 

She tensed. 

"-but we left out the part about you and Grima." 

She relaxed, and smiled, shifting to look back at him, "Thank you Chrom… I'm sorry, I know I should've told you sooner-" 

"Hey," he tightened his grip, smiling reassuringly at her, "It's fine. Trust me, I understand… Well, perhaps not understand… but I'm not mad that you kept it a secret. I probably would've done the same…" 

Her smile brightened, and she shifted against him, letting out a content hum, "Thank you… I do love you, I just…" 

"Don't worry about it. You're a woman of many secrets, my Love. I wouldn't have married you if I wasn't prepared for that, but… I'm glad you told me before all this happened, even if just barely." 

"Thank you-" 

He snorted, "Stop thanking me and come get some breakfast, before Frederick sends out a search party." 

The tactician laughed, and they walked to the camp holding hands. 

It had been dusk when Robin was found, sitting at a cliffside and watching the horizon. Now it was daylight, and the sound of Say'ri yelling got their attention for breakfast. 

"Did you cook this?" Cherche asked. 

"Aye, ma'am," the warrior nodded, smiling, "It's a recipe from my homeland." 

"Oh, I must have the recipe! It's delicious!" 

"Of course, I'd be happy to show it to ya later." 

"So, what's the plan for the day?" Stahl asked, "How do we conduct research?" 

"I suggest we send small groups into the nearby towns and ask," Miriel replied. 

"Perhaps we should start by looking for priests and clerics," Laurent added, "Those who are knowledgeable in the religious field." 

"I say we ask Naga," Vaike huffed, "The thing lives here, she should know!" 

"She doesn't," Robin replied, sighing softly, "I spoke to her last night, while I was out." 

"Like a dream?" Libra's eyes widened in amazement. 

"And she  _ didn't  _ smite you? Impressive," Tharja huffed. 

The tactician let out a small laugh, "She couldn't if she wanted to, not without dooming the world." 

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Sully raised an eyebrow. 

"Yesterday, when she found us so quickly… it was because of me. Grima's anger is a part of his soul, meaning we can essentially sense each other… pros would include that I know where she is, if she's nearby, cons include that she knows the same." 

"And? Why is she after you anyway?" Kjelle huffed. 

"Use your brain, dimwit!" Severa scowled at her, "Isn't it obvious?" 

"Nope," the armored girl frowned, "What's so obvious?" 

"...She wants to fuse the two of you," Morgan said, "And in doing so, properly raise the fell dragon… but in a state of rage."

"Alright, now I'm really confused," Vaike scowled, putting his empty food dish down on the grass in front of him, "What the hell is up with this anger and dormant split soul thingamajig. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."

Everyone became quiet. 

"...He has a point," Ricken said finally, "I'm confused too." 

"From what I understand, it's simply that Grima's soul is split into 2, correct?" Laurent frowned. 

"But that begs the question of  _ why  _ it is split," his mother responded, pushing her glasses up her nose. 

"Yeah, I have to agree," Lissa frowned, "This isn't making a lot of sense…" 

One by one, the Shepherds all voice their confusions, and the tactician laughed softly. 

"I suppose it's only fair that I tell you everything… get comfy, it's a long story." 

"Ooh! I love this story!" Henry exclaimed. 

"Blegh," Tharja huffed. 

She laughed again lightly, smiling, "Where to start…. Well, I suppose at the beginning…" 

~~~

I don't remember much from when I was little. Just that I lived in Plegia's capital with my father, younger sister, and a caretaker. 

My mother was a physically weak woman, often getting pains and at times unable to move. She was overjoyed being pregnant with me… but just barely survived her labor. Father was overjoyed when he saw the mark on my hand… she wasn't. 

The first year was fine. Father was a Plegian noble, so I grew up fairly spoiled. Then my mother became pregnant with my sister. She didn't survive her second labour. 

So he now had two babies he was unprepared to care for, and hired a caretaker. Everything was fine. I was well taken care of, went outside every day and exercised, ate well… but after Mother died I began hearing a voice in my head. When I was 5, he took me to visit the Grimleal church he ran. 

That was his first attempt at raising Grima, and how we discovered he couldn't force it. The experience scared me so much, I was sobbing about it to the caretaker. 

She was horrified at what he had done, and the next night, packed our things, took me and my sister, and snuck onto the next carriage out of town. We took refuge in a small town on the edge of Ylisse. I learned about both religions, Grimleal from her and Grima, and Naga from the public school. I met Tharja and Henry on that carriage.

_ "That reminds me, we haven't seen your sister in forever."  _

_ "Yeah! Wonder where she is now…"  _

_ "Probably searching for me. You know how she was." _

I used to get bullied a lot, because I was shy, and Plegian. My sister wasn't as bad, being social and happy, but… well the fact that I would sometimes talk to myself didn't help. By the end of primary, I had an established relationship with Grima, and he would always get angry when we were made fun of. It took me years to talk him out of the " _ kill all who wrong us" _ mindset. 

When the bandits began raiding the outer towns, we quickly moved to Ylisstol to avoid being caught. We enrolled in the school- 

_ "That's when we met you!"  _

_ "Ahaha, yeah. That's technically when we met you and Chrom, as well as Sully and Vaike."  _

_ "Wait, that scrawny little nerd in my 7th grade class was you?!"  _

_ "Mhm."  _

_ "Hold on, so that means that tiny smartass who sucked at gym was-"  _

_ "That was me." _

It was a shock when I realized the prince was in my class, and it did scare me, especially with the war going on. 

Our caretaker passed from a disease, and we ended up moving in with Tharja. Turns out her parents had been retainers to my father's family- and when they passed a couple years after we graduated, the two decided to take up the role. 

I was completely used to having Grima in my head, and the two plus my sister were the only ones who knew about it. I was also used to wearing gloves, knowing if my mark was seen I would be publicly executed. 

The king passed, so did a few years, and one day while I was visiting a town to do some research on the two dragons, when I fell asleep outside in the field… 

_ "There are better places to take a nap then on the ground, you know."  _

_ "Hehe, yes Chrom. That's exactly what you told me."  _

_ "I'm so glad we convinced Frederick to let us do that patrol around town."  _

_ "You're welcome, Milord."  _

So, we joined you. Then Gangrel fell, and my father… Validar, he became the king. 

_ "Wait-"  _

_ "What the fuck?! So you're a princess now?!"  _

_ "Yes, I'm a princess now. Calm down."  _

_ "Whatever you say-"  _

_ "Chrom don't you dare-"  _

_ "Y-"  _

_ "I will slap you!" _

_ "...Your Highness."  _

_ "OH, FOR GRIMA'S SAKE!"  _

_ "HAHAHA!"  _

_ "Ugh…"  _

_ "You never mentioned you had a sister before. Would it be possible to learn more about her?"  _

_ "Sure." _

My sister… She was born with the same white hair as me, albeit a bit darker. As we got older, she became more… playful, for lack of a better term, with both genders. She didn't do it during school after getting caught once, but outside was a nightmare. 

_ "Sounds familiar…" _

After school, she went back to Plegia to see Father. Since then, we've exchanged letters, and sometimes she came to visit, but other than that, we didn't see each other. Letting her go was difficult, she was my baby sister after all, but I had too. 

~~~

"Speaking of her, you think she's still alive?" Henry asked, with a lighthearted tone, "I'd hate to think she didn't survive that." 

"Knowing her, she probably left the moment the town began evacuating," Robin replied, smiling, "I hope she is…" 

"I'd love to meet her," Chrom said, putting an arm around her. 

"I want to meet my new Aunt!" Morgan exclaimed happily. 

"Heh, and I'm sure she'd-"

The tactician was interrupted by a voice behind them, smooth and sassy, with playful purr in their tone. 

"And I'd absolutely  _ love  _ to meet you, darlings." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's play a guessing game: Who's the sister? 
> 
> ...I'll actually be very surprised if nobody guesses it.


	6. A Plan

She felt someone leaning on her, and flinched, whirling around. 

"Oh, there she is!" Henry laughed, "Hi!" 

"...I can't believe I'm surprised," Tharja's wide eyes went slack, replaced with her usual bored expression, "Hello, Aversa." 

"Ave?!" Robin gaped at her, "What- Where- How-?!" 

Aversa burst out laughing. 

"Oh, it's always a pleasure to see you flustered Sis!" She laughed, "It wasn't hard to find you, Naga's temple is the only place that could mask your sense." 

"...Jesus," Sully sighed, "Don't do that Lady, I nearly threw my spear at you!" 

Miriel lowered her tome, frowning, “Am I correct in assuming this is the woman you were just referring to?”

The tactician took a deep breath, and then lightly punched the tanned and silver haired woman’s shoulder, “Ave! Don’t scare me like that!”

“Ave?” Gaius asked, “That’s your name?”

The woman laughed again, “Aversa, actually. I suppose it's safe to assume you lot are the Shepherds I've heard so much about? A pleasure to meet you." 

"That would be us," Chrom nodded, "The pleasure is ours. Are you Robin's sister?" 

"Gods," Robin sighed, and then laughed lightly, "Yes Chrom, this is my sister. Everyone, this is Aversa. Aversa, these are the Shepherds." 

Aversa smirked, "Lovely to meet you all. Oh, and if you're wondering, your plan of hiding here is working. She hasn't moved from her spot since you arrived, and neither have the Risen." 

"Thank goodness…" Morgan sighed in relief.

"Ave, you know what's going on, right?" Robin asked, frowning at her, "Can you…" 

"I'm here to help," Aversa nodded, smiling, "You're researching how to reverse the effect Grima's anger is having without killing her, right?"

"Hold on, how do you know all this?" Sully asked, frowning. 

"You aren't hard to figure out," the silver haired woman hummed, "And Henry told me." 

Robin glanced at Henry, raising an eyebrow. 

"What? I saw her yesterday." 

"And you didn't tell us because…?" Miriel frowned. 

He shrugged, "Nobody asked me." 

Everyone stared at him, before Robin sighed. 

"Anyway, it's good to see you again Ave." 

"You too Sis," Aversa smiled, "You don't mind if I help?" 

"Of course not," Chrom laughed, "The more the merrier, right?" 

"Nice to meet you Aunty Aversa!" Morgan smiled brightly. 

Aversa gasped, and elbowed Robin, "You didn't tell me you had kids!" 

"Been a little busy avoiding this situation," the tactician retorted, sitting down and pulling the mage with her, "Yes, this is my son Morgan and my husband Chrom." 

"...I see," she smiled and nodded, "Nice to meet you too darling. Anyway, I  _ did  _ find some information on my way here." 

"Really?" Robin brightened up, and the rest of the Shepherds did as well, "What did you find?!" 

"Apparently, there's a ritual Naga created after Grima was first sealed away. It's made to allow an individual, or group of individuals, to go back in time with the goal of preventing the events that inevitably lead up to Grima's rise." 

"You mean time travel?" Laurent frowned. 

"Sounds like a load of bullcrap," Vaike huffed.

"...It sounds good, but also dangerous," Robin frowned, "Besides, what if we changed the past too drastically, and how do we know if they can come back to our time afterward?" 

"All I heard was that it exists, and Naga's daughter can perform it," Aversa shrugged. 

"Well then it's already out," Tharja scowled, "Naga's daughter is dead." 

"Hmm, that is a problem, isn't it?" Aversa sighed, "I suppose that means we'll have to find another way."

"You never properly explained  _ why  _ Grima's soul is split into two," Miriel stated. Robin blinked. 

"Ah, of course…" the tactician sighed, "It's… complicated. You all know the story of Naga, right? The divine dragon that made its home here, and protected the land?" 

"Of course we do," Lissa blinked, "Why wouldn't we?" 

"So, the story says that one day, a fell dragon appeared one day and attacked unprovoked, right?" 

"Yeah," Chrom nodded, frowning.

"There's a lot that goes unmentioned in the Ylissean version, at least when compared to the Plegian version…" Aversa sighed, "From what I can tell." 

Robin nodded in agreement, "Right. In Plegia's version, Grima was searching for a home, but because of his unstable emotions, nobody would accept him out of fear. When he arrived here, Naga believed he was trying to take over the territory she had claimed, and… things escalated badly. Upset and angry with her harsh words, he attacked, and thus, the war happened." 

_...Naga is saying I'm just being a baby.  _

_ Tell her to shut up, we are not having this argument all over again.  _

"And the soul split?" Ricken asked, "What caused that?" 

"There was an accident in one of the battles," Tharja replied, "Grima had a sort of split personality disorder, with one side more peaceful and the other violent. After Naga's insults, the violent side took over. During one of the battles, a spell that Naga cast with a group of mages somehow split his soul apart. Thus, the dormant Grima and angry Grima were created. The dormant side was taken hostage, and sealed away separate from the anger. People in Plegia today refer to them as Grima and his Anger, or Rage, Fury, etc. Depends on who you talk to." 

"I didn't realize Naga had that power," Miriel frowned. 

"Not by herself," Libra frowned, "But with a group of mages, it does seem possible." 

"And it's so bad for them to fuse again because…?" Vaike frowned. 

"Did you miss the part where fusing the souls means raising the fell dragon in a state of rage to absolutely destroy everything?" Severa asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Severa, don't be rude," Cordelia frowned. 

"She's right though," Henry laughed, "If the two souls fuse now, it would just be the anger! We'd have to calm her down first!"

Everyone looked at him. 

"What?" 

"...I think you might be onto something Henry," Robin said, "It would be difficult, but…" 

"If we could find a way to calm down the anger, and then let them fuse, it would remove the anger from Lucina, and prevent Grima from rising in a state of rage!" Morgan exclaimed, "Henry, that's brilliant!" 

"What? What did I do?" Henry blinked. 

"Just roll with it," Tharja hummed, "The question is how we calm them down." 

"Maybe if we give her what she wants?" Sumia suggested. 

"I'm pretty sure she wants to kill Robin," Stahl frowned. 

"Sleep spell?" Nah suggested. 

"We'd have to find a strong one, and then get the mages to her without any casualties," Chrom sighed. 

"Hmm…" Robin hummed thoughtfully, her eyebrows knitting together, "What about family? Maybe if we brought family to her, it would calm her down enough…" 

"The question is how we do that without getting you killed," Sully crossed her arms. 

"What if we find a moment when she's vulnerable, and drop Chrom in front of her? Morgan too maybe," Cherche suggested, "That way it could startle her enough to get her to listen." 

"And what are we supposed to tell her?" Chrom asked, frowning, "'Hey Lucina, sorry we let you get possessed but please calm down, so we don't have to kill you?'"

"Something like that," she shrugged. 

"It's the most likely to work," Robin nodded, "I'll hide nearby so we can fuse once she's calm." 

"What about the Risen?" Say'ri asked, frowning. 

"We can take care of them!" Vaike laughed, "When do we start?" 

"The sooner the better," Aversa grinned. 

Robin laughed, throwing an arm around her sister, "You read my mind Ave. How does tomorrow sound?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, our heroes have a plan. The question is, will it work?


	7. A New Host

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, last chapter didn't go very well, did it?

"Where… is she… can't find her…" 

_ Stop it! You're better than this Lucina, don't let him control you! _

Who is that?

_ "Don't listen! Find her and take revenge!"  _

_ No! _

Her head hurt. The two voices, shouting at her and at each other. 

_ Stop it, _ one said.

_ Find her _ , said the other. 

A never ending argument she was forced to listen to all the time. It made her head hurt. 

She wanted her parents. Her father, mother, brother… She wanted them back. Where were they? 

_ "She took them!"  _

_ No she didn't! _

Her head hurt. 

"Fa...ther… where…" 

_ "That woman took her! If you kill her, he'll come back!"  _

_ No! Don't listen to him, he's tricking you! Stop this!  _

Shut up…

_ "Find her! Kill her!"  _

_ He's playing you for a fool! Stop this! _

Shut up.

_ "Kill!"  _

_ No! _

**"SHUT UP!"**

~~~

"Everyone remembers the plan?" 

The Shepherds nodded. The tactician smiled. 

"Good. Cherche, I'll follow you from the edge of the forest. Once she's calmed down, I'll try and absorb the spirit." 

"Understood," Cherche nodded, before mounting her Wyvern. Gerome climbed on behind her, hoisting his quiver of arrows with him. 

"Chrom, Morgan," she looked at her husband and son, "Stay safe. If she shows any sign of aggression, retreat immediately. Nobody is to engage in battle with Lucina under any circumstances. Call for backup or retreat." 

The group once again chorused their confirmation, and Robin nodded. 

"Alright. Take your places, on my signal we fight." 

"Yes ma'am," the Shepherds saluted, before scattering. She pulled her hood up, looking at the trees. 

"Stay safe Love," Chrom appeared in front of her suddenly, going for a kiss. Robin squeaked, but then smiled and returned. 

"You too." 

And she ran off, disappearing within the trees. 

_ You remember the backup plan, right?  _

_ Yeah. Does it matter who?  _

_ No, just get out of me. _

_ Alright. _

She looked out, catching Cherche's eye, and nodded. 

The Wyvern took off, picking up the two royals and flying towards the enemy. The Shepherds burst from their hiding places, engaging the Risen, and she began running after Minerva. 

Minerva lowered herself to the ground, dropping Chrom and Morgan, and Robin hid behind a tree, watching them. Cherche steered her Wyvern away to engage the Risen. 

"Lucina!" 

The blue haired girl faltered, pausing. Her sword was raised, as she stared at the two. 

"Sis!"

"...Where… is she… can't find her…"

The purple aura around her flickered. 

"Lucina, stop!" Chrom moved closer to her, "Please, calm down!" 

"This isn't like you Luci!" Morgan piped up, "Come on!" 

She stared at them. 

"Fa...ther… where…" 

"I'm right here," the exalt told her, "Lucina…" 

She tensed up suddenly, and her breathing quickened. She dropped the sword, reaching for her head, and then- 

"SHUT UP!" 

The Risen all let out a roar, as she fell to her knees. 

_ Now!  _

Robin dropped her guard, lowering the mental walls that kept the anger away. 

Immediately, feelings of rage appeared, threatening her. 

_ Kill! Kill! Kill them all! kill all who have wronged us!  _

_ Aragh!  _

A scream tore from her lips. 

Her hand began to burn. 

Then… it was silent. 

_...Kill… _

~~~

Her eyes opened to the night sky, her breathing heavy. 

"Lucina!" 

She looked up, as she was engulfed in a tight hug. 

"Ah! F-Father?! Morgan?!" 

_ He's gone… thank goodness. _

"Thank the Gods," her father sighed, smiling at her as he pulled away, "I was so scared…" 

"Don't do that Sis!" Morgan cried out, attaching himself to her midsection, "You scared us…" 

"I… I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I… I shouldn't have followed Lady Tiki, a-and now…!" 

"Shh," she felt the exalt hug her again, as tears filled her eyes, "It's okay Sweetie. Everyone makes mistakes, it's not your fault…" 

"...Papa… Morgan…" 

A scream tore through the air, startling them all. 

_ Shit!  _

_ Who-  _

_ Get out of here! _

_ You!  _

_ What the- you?! _ __

_ Wait, what's going on?!  _

_ What are you doing here?!  _

_ Well excuse me for not letting myself destroy the world!  _

_ What?!  _

_ Stop arguing, and explain what the hell is going on!  _

She registered being brought to her feet, and running. The sight when she looked back terrified her. 

Her mother was on her knees, pulling her hair, shouting at herself, and they did nothing but run. 

_...That was his excuse, wasn't it? _ __

_ And why do you care?  _

_ Don't be rude. _

"Let's go! Back to the temple!" Her father was shouting. 

They were running. The Risen were roaring, lumbering after them- 

_ What's going on?! _

_ I thought that was obvious. _

_ Apparently you thought wrong. _

_ It'll take too long to get back to the temple on foot. Here. _

_ What- _

She blinked. They all stood in front of the temple suddenly.

And then suddenly, she was facing three spirits. 

~~~

Chrom caught his daughter as she fell, and everyone was quiet. 

"...He transferred hosts," Aversa said. 

"Huh?" Morgan blinked at her. 

"That's possible?" Tharja asked. 

"I wasn't sure myself before, but… it's the only explanation. Grima transferred hosts at the last second, and… I think he transferred to Lucina." 

"I'm not following," Chrom frowned. 

"Robin… she wasn't calm enough. When Robin put her guard down and let the anger in, it wasn't calm enough… So to prevent the rise, Grima's dormant spirit left her and found someone else with her blood to host him. I think he went to Lucina." 

"...So now she's hosting the fell dragon?" Owain asked.

"Look at her right eye," Henry said, "The mark…" 

Everyone clustered around to look at her. Over her right eyelid, a mark was forming. 

"...Grima's mark. That confirms it," Tharja sighed, "She's hosting Grima." 

"...So now Robin is carrying the anger?" Vaike asked. 

"Pretty much," Henry sighed, "I'm tired… Let's get some rest." 

"That sounds like a great idea," Sully yawned. 

"I'll do some quick hunting!" Nowi exclaimed, before running off. 

The Shepherds began walking to their camp. Nowi came back a few minutes later with a bear that Say'ri and Cherche skinned and cooked, and the rest of the night was quiet. 

"Hey, Tharja." 

"What do you want Henry?" The dark mage huffed, rolling over in her mattress and rubbing her eyes with a scowl. 

"...Do you think we failed?" 

"What?" She scowled, "Failed what?" 

"In our duty. We're supposed to protect Robin and Aversa, but…" 

"Oh…" Tharja sighed, "I guess, in a way, we did fail." 

Henry's face fell. 

"But," he perked up a little, "That doesn't mean we can't still help her, right?" 

"...Yeah, I guess… I just feel like Papa would be mad at me if he found out I let her get possessed." 

"Your dad was just an asshole."

"...That's true." 

"Now go to sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day." 

"Yeah, yeah. Night Thar." 

"Night Hen." 

"Don't call me that." 

"Don't call me Thar." 

"Fine… Night." 

"Night." 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is a thing. 
> 
> This might end up being a short story by the way.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! Feedback and criticism is always welcome :D


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